Paranoia
by effectivelywrite
Summary: A mysterious girl ends up in the hands of Dr. Cullen, one pill away from an OD. She knows about vampires. She's known many vampires. She hears voices. She sees eerie messages. No parents. No social. No identity. Where did she come from? How will the Cullens handle a possibly schizophrenic girl? Why does Jasper have a keen interest in her past...? Rated T, maybe.
1. Abandoned

**A/N: Welcome, all. I'm so glad to be revisiting my past obsession with this genre of writing. I'm not a Twi-Fan, but I've always really liked Jasper's character... so we'll see what becomes of this story. Just a quick reminder, this takes place during New Moon. The vampires are Stephanie M's vampires; sparkling and shit and immortal and whatnot. Can't be murdered with a stake, blah blah blah. Characters are in character. Bella's boring. Edward's weird. The Cullens are depressing. Alright. That's where we start. **

* * *

**_Carlisle Point of View_**

The emergency room had another batch of bleeding humans checked in from this morning's incident. It was all over Forks news. A couple of drunk little boys just trying to have fun.

I shook my head and scribbled my signature on the clipboard.

_A head trauma. Three concussions. Two broken legs. Six humans. _

"Check their vitals before they leave," I whispered to the ER nurse as plainly as I could without having to deal with her flirty attitude. I was just a vampire doctor wanting to get home to his wife and children after two open heart surgeries. I was half-way through shrugging my white lab-coat off when the same nurse stopped me.

"Dr. Cullen. Would you mind, um…" There it was. Those pouty lips. "There's a, um, a new patient. Would you please –"

"Marge, I'd love to. But my shift ended –"

"Please, doctor. She's suicidal."

I looked around the crowded ER. "Where is she?"

"In room 2A. We had to restrain her." she shifted her weight, flicking her hip to the side. "Her blood pressure's a bit high, but her vitals seem fine. We found high levels of Oxycodone in her system. Clearly an OD seeker."

"OD on pain medication?" I exchanged clip boards with her.

"She probably couldn't find anything else."

I flipped through the pages. Her name was Angelique. No last name. No parents. No social.

"Who is this girl?" I asked incredulously.

"We don't know." Marge replied simply. "Someone obviously called 911. The ambulance picked her up from a street corner."

"I'll look into this." I assured her. "Check those vitals."

She blinked at me then nodded. I left her and headed for the corridor. The odor of anti-bacterial sanitizer grew stronger as I headed up to the second floor. 2A was the first room to the left. I didn't waste any time.

The sight in the room wasn't as bad as I'd predicted. The beep of the heart monitor was normal and so was a rowdy looking teenage girl after a rough Friday night. Her disheveled dark hair was sprinkled all over the white pillow that supported her neck. The IV was pumping her system out and was half way done with the bag. Her eyes were closed and her face pale. _Normal for an almost OD. _

I closed the door shut and placed the clipboard in the front compartment of her bed. Taking a seat on the rolling stool, I examined her face. Her high cheekbones were poorly defined by the sinking bags under her eyes. Her noise was sharp and pointy, her lips looked blue and chapped. There was absolutely no colour on her body. She was as white as the sheets her torpid body was placed on.

Her heartbeat quickened and I saw her eyelids crumple together. The light was too much for her sensitive, newly woken up eyes.

"I could turn the lights off." I offered her gently, rolling over to the other side of the room to retrieve an unneeded stethoscope. Vampiric hearing. I could sense her lungs just fine.

When I was back beside her, I was almost startled by the big pair of black eyes staring back at me. This was unusual. Vampires weren't startled by humans. It was quite the contrary.

I put on the earpiece and lifted the stem. "Evening, sweetheart. May I take a listen to your lungs?"

She stared at me for a while, her expression indifferent. Then, she spoke. It was the softest whisper…

"But you already hear them."

I paused. "Excuse me?"

"You don't need that." she lifted her arm with the IV, pointing to the stethoscope.

"I'm a doctor, sweetheart. Yes, I do. And we'll get you out of here feeling better than ever. I've heard you haven't been feeling well –"

"Oh, stop." she scowled. "Stop acting so nice."

I took the earpieces out. "I'm here to help you, Angelique."

She looked me straight in the eyes, not even fazed by the miscoloured honey orbs.

"Your eyes should be red."

* * *

**So.**

**Yes.**

**Good.**

**If you review, I'll be happy. I'll be inspired to go on. As all authors say. **

**This was just a little teaser. I'll be updating soon. **

**Thanks, all.**

**Effectivelywrite~**


	2. Concerning Plea

**Alright. Here you all are. Still an introduction to the story. Stay with me. ~**

***Also, I use British English, so colour, realise, analyse, all of that. They're spelled correctly to me. Please don't bash it out. **

* * *

**Jasper's Point of View**

"Dude, what if humans could feel each other's emotions?" Emmett nudged me as I blasted him in Skyrim.

I smirked, waiting for the controller to register my finger's rapid movements. "There sure as hell wouldn't have been a Civil War."

"But bro," he drew out. "Then you wouldn't be here."

"And you wouldn't be getting your ass kicked."

The Cullen house was quieter than usual. Carlisle was at work, Alice was still in France for some girly shit, Rosalie hated watching her husband spend more time with the Xbox than her; so she went hunting, Esme was home cleaning the same area for the tenth time, and Edward was out with his human.

_Amusement. Lust. _

"Edward!" I heard a little girly giggle.

Thought too soon. "Human's back." I murmured to Emmett.

He beamed and drop the controller, running to open the door. I sighed and paused the game, resting my head back against the couch and closing my eyes.

_Edward, you need to get laid. _

I couldn't help the little smile on my face. Edward was glaring at me when he and Bella entered. Like always, Emmett crushed his "little sister" with a hug meant for a vampire and Edward freaked out over any bone damage. Bella told Emmett that it was okay, and Edward told him it was not. Same scenario, really.

"Hey, Bella." I tried to be friendly. Her scent drove me insane, and Edward knew it. _Why bring her here? _

"She's part of the family." he spoke quietly; too fast for Bella to notice. I rolled my eyes at him.

"So, it's almost your birthday?" I began conversationally to the human.

"Oh, yes." she smiled and a blush crept up her cheeks. "I'll finally be an adult."

"Tsk, tsk," Emmett ruffled her hair before he sat back on the couch. "Dating younger men."

I scowled at the cheap joke but quickly hid it with a plain grin.

"Oh, Bella's here! Hello, darling." Esme, as if right on cue, came running in. Same words, same physical appreciation, same blush.

I puffed out some air.

My eyes found the grandfather clock that ticked agonisingly away. After a few thousand turns of the hour hand, this human will be gone; dead. It wasn't saddening. Why was it amusing?

Edward stiffened. I thought about bleeding bunnies instead.

Watching the clock, I realised it was almost eight. Carlisle should've been home by now. That certainly was a change in schedule. Usually, Papa Cullen was walking through the door at exactly 7:52. It was 7:59.

"Is Carlisle working the night shift?"

Esme stopped her motherly rambling to Bella and checked the clock. "No. Not on a Saturday."

"Strange," I noted.

"I'll call him." Edward offered.

"He's probably just running a few minutes late." Bella dismissed. I wanted to hiss at her. _You don't even realise how planned out our lives are. Set to the each minute. Dictated to the very last millisecond. _

"Jasper," Edward growled.

"Bro," Emmett warned Edward. "Chill."

Bella just sat there, pumping her blood through her body. _That's the only thing she was good for, anyway. _

I smirked Edward. He was ready to pounce.

Esme frowned at all of us, but her expression melted into cheer in just a few seconds. We heard a car pull up. Carlisle.

When he walked in, he wasn't the cheery Papa Cullen we were used to seeing each night at 7:52. He was grim. Worry and confusion laced his emotions.

"Something happen at work, dear?" Esme sensed it immediately, rushing to his side.

"This girl…" his gaze locked on Edward, who was equally as freaked out.

"We have to bring her here." he demanded, appearing at Carlisle's side. I wanted to chuckle at how fazed Bella looked by our vampiric speed.

Why was everyone so agitated?

"Jasper, call Alice." Carlisle told me. "Ask her about any visions."

"No. Tell me what's happening."

He looked undecided, preoccupied. "Do it."

"Carlisle –" I began.

"There's a girl at the hospital." Edward told us. "She knows about us."

"Us specifically?" I asked.

"No. Just vampires."

_Oh, fun. _"What's her name?"

"Angelique," Carlisle filled in. "She said I should have red eyes."

A glint played in my eyes. "She knows her vampires."

Emmett jumped up. "She can't stay at the hospital to babble about it to the world."

"First," Carlisle addressed me. "Contact Alice."

I was upstairs, phone in hand before Edward's human could even react. I just hoped Alice wouldn't kick my ass for interrupting her Louis Vuitton showcase.

* * *

Alice said she hadn't paid attention to any visions ever since she'd gotten to France. She told me that the most alarming vision she'd gotten in the past few weeks was just about a passing nomad from Idaho who, by now, would be in Arizona.

"Sorry, Jazz." I could see her frown through the phone. "But that's crazy. Tell Carlisle to just take her in."

"From what I'm hearing right now," I kept an ear out for the conversation downstairs. "She's a ghost. No parents, not even a registered birth."

I paused to hear her reply, but none came. She was having a vision.

I counted the 10.23 seconds that her visions usually lasted.

"None. None about a black haired girl."

I felt the disappointment seep upward from the living room.

"Since she's a ghost, it'll be easy. Call Jenks to make a fake profile. Long lost daughter of Dr. Cullen. Be creative."

"You want us to make her a Cullen?" Fuck. We didn't need any more annoying humans in this family.

"Temporarily. Until we figure out what's going on."

I hung up the phone.

* * *

**Jasper certainly has had enough of humans. Will Angelique be any different from Boring Bells? **

**We'll find out.**

**Cheers,**

**effectivelywrite~**


	3. Murder

**Hey, all. Felt pretty bored this last Sunday of 2013. Felt the need to write. Getting two charms a day, you lucky bastard. Here you are. **

* * *

**Carlisle's Point of View**

I asked Marge how our little secret bearer was doing.

She told me that Angelique had slept the entire night and her IV had to be changed three times to fully rid her system of the Oxycodone.

"She's paler than Bella." Edward stated, examining the girl from a corner of the room.

"It's a bit concerning. She doesn't have a temperature, but her body heat is quite low."

"Shouldn't that be normal for an OD attemptee?"

Angelique stirred. Edward closed the door.

"It's you," she croaked, her mouth clearly dry. I reached for the bottle of water and handed it to her. Without a thank you, she took a little sip.

"This is my son," I gestured. "Edward."

She pulled the bottle from her lips and her forehead formed creases. "Vampires can't breed."

"We're not vampires." I watched Edward as he spoke charmingly. "Maybe you should rest."

"I don't need rest," she emphasised. "Stop. You're not brainwashing me."

I exchanged glances with my son. "Sweetheart, I need you to drink some more water."

Edward's phone shrilled and he excused himself.

"He looks like he's mad." Angelique told me.

"He's just a bit frustrated." I smiled weakly at her.

"I want to leave." She tried to get up, restraining against the belt that was holding her midsection down.

"You can't," I rested a hand on the bed, taking a seat on the rolling stool. I patted a hand on my head. "Not with that information."

"Just because I know what you are doesn't mean you can confine me in here." She stated warningly.

"Where are your parents?" I changed the subject. The topic was making her heartbeat work harder than it should.

"Dead." She stated simply. "Humans aren't immortal."

"Who do you live with?"

"No one. I'm alone." She looked down at the belt. "And I'd like to leave."

I took a breath and listened in on Edward's conversation outside. It was Alice.

"_No, Alice. She's convinced we're vampires. I don't know how or… okay. No. I can't read her mind… It's pretty creepy, I know. Just like another Bella… Yeah, she misses you too… _

"I have a question." Angelique said softly. "Your eyes aren't red. You obviously don't drink human blood. But how do you bear working at a hospital?"

I smiled at her. "Human blood doesn't appeal to me. And my family feeds on animal blood."

"You've got an entire family? Of vampires?"

"Yes," I answered reluctantly. "And we'd like to take you in for a few days."

I heard Edward pause mid-sentence. He ended the call with Alice.

"Me? In a house of vampires?" she didn't hide the fascination in her tone.

The door opened. "You wouldn't like it." Edward was firm. "Vampires aren't humans."

Angelique narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't like you. And I know vampires. I've been through hell with them."

I gave Edward a _be quiet_ look and turned to our patient. "We want you to stay with us. For a few days."

Her coldness minimised for a second. Her eyes looked distant and she looked down at her belt and IV. "I don't have anywhere else to go, anyway."

"Then, it's done. I'll check you out." I grabbed the clipboard from her bed.

_Edward, be nice. _I fixed him with my gaze, then left to find Marge.

* * *

**Jasper's Point of View**

Everyone in the house seemed like they were about to combust.

It was just a human. Just another Bella. The knowledge of us would pass along with her death.

As Alice had ordered, I called Jenks, our legal adviser, to create some fake IDs and a birth certificate for Angelique. We didn't make her an official Cullen, and I hoped we wouldn't have to later on. Maybe we could charm her into thinking we weren't anything close to supernatural. We'd pulled it off for decades. We could do it now.

Her name was down in the legal system as Angelique Anderson and her paperwork would be transferred to us in a few days. I knew Carlisle was pulling the long lost uncle card, so the hospital should let the human go easily. The record would already be set up in the hospital computers, thanks to Jenks.

Esme was preparing brunch for the incoming human and Emmett had left to drop Bella to her house. She'd stayed over last night and it was probably one of the most disappointing nights for the little girl. Edward just refused anything rated R. Poor pretty boy and his morals. If he wanted to fuck a human, he had one more than willing on his lap.

Rosalie was meant to come home tonight and I couldn't wait. She seemed to be the only other family member, other than myself, that had some wit in her brain. Well, once she put aside her mirror, of course.

My phone buzzed the moment I entered the living room. I already knew it was Alice.

"Hey darlin'," I drawled.

"Morning over there, Jazz." She giggled. "How are you?"

"Waiting on the human. Isn't that what we're always doing?" I chuckled. "How's France?"

"Dazzling. I hope everything's well over there."

"Grey and raining. It's perfect. Will you be back for the human's birthday?"

"Her name's Bella," she told me slowly, as if speaking to an idiot.

"Don't need to be harsh." I feigned hurt.

"You need to see her as a person."

I put the phone down and sighed. I picked it back up. "You can't expect that from a vampire."

"What? She's food to you?"

"She's food to all of us. And this new human will be the entrée."

The line was dead. I didn't know if she hung up because she was furious or that she knew that Carlisle and Edward were back from their human pick up. I felt her heartbeat but the only scents out there were that of Edward's and Carlisle's. The human didn't smell.

_Guess that's a good thing. _

"Jasper," Esme smiled at me wearily, coming out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. "Please be nice."

I diverted my attention to the door. Edward walked in first with a deep frown. _How natural. _

Behind him was the human.

Pale and sick.

_How natural. _

Carlisle came in next.

"Jasper, Esme," he smiled at us as strongly as he could. "This is Angelique."

I could see the small layer of fear playing within his eyes. I didn't need to be an empath to know that he was in utter unease about the fact that a weak little human girl knew about the family. The girl just looked at Esme apathetically, then her gaze lingered on me. She looked me up and down and slowly switched her attention to Carlisle.

"You don't look scary at all." She remarked. "It's weird."

"Are you hungry, dear? I made cheese toasties."

She looked at Mama Cullen sceptically. "Why would you make more than one?"

Esme looked down at her hands. "I just thought –"

"Oh I see," she shrugged. "You're one of those covens who attempt to live like humans."

"We don't attempt." Emmett came bouldering out of the tall open window. "We've mastered our lifestyle." He looked at me briefly. "Mostly."

_Ouch, brother. _

"I'm Emmett," he reached out a huge hand.

Angelique contemplated for a moment, but reached out a bony hand.

"You already know my name." she cocked her head as she shook his hand.

"Damn," Emmett murmured. "Your hands are cold."

She pulled her hand back quickly. "I know."

"Alright!" Esme exclaimed. "Please take a seat, everyone. I'll get you something to nibble on, dear. I'm guessing we have a lot to talk about."

I remained in my spot. Emmett took the cushion next to me, and Edward the other. Carlisle sat at the loveseat, making room for Esme, and the arm chair was left for the girl.

She was wearing ripped black jeans and a white loose top. Nothing too new or too old. Her boots were laced up and her hair covered her forehead, cropped at the edges.

Esme was back a second later with a perfect plate of square bread and cheese. The human wasn't even shocked by how quickly the toastie reached her lap. Her little hands found the crispy edges and peeled little bits of the cheese, popping them in her mouth.

She sighed at the taste. It was delicious to watch.

Carlisle got right to business. "There are no records of you. No birth records. We couldn't even find your parents."

Angelique licked her thumb. "It's really none of your business."

"We'd like to help you." Esme assured her. "If you'd tell us more about yourself."

"I'm Angelique and I am _not_ suicidal." She looked sharply at Carlisle. "I take pain medication and I guess I took a little too much. But I wasn't intending on dying."

"And why do you take pain medication?"

She played around with the bread between her fingers. "I have aches. My body's… my body's weird."

"Menstrual pains?" Carlisle put on his doctor façade.

She glared at him. "No."

And not even a blush showed on her white cheeks.

"Anyway," she continued. "My parents were murdered by vampires. Those vampires took me in. They played with me, and then they threw me out."

_Played with her?_

"That still doesn't explain the birth records." Carlisle went on.

"Look," she said firmly. "I wasn't taking notes when I was pulled out of my mother. I don't know. My childhood was spent with vampires. My parents were killed later."

"Your parents were killed by the same vampires you were with?"

"I don't remember. I was, what, five or six? That's the earliest I remember."

"And how old are you now?"

"No clue. How old do I look?"

I examined her face and answered. "Eighteen. You look like a malnourished sixteen year old but you sure as hell talk like a grown woman."

Angelique looked down on her plate. "Do you have an accent?"

That caught me off guard. Why would she care? "I'm originally Southern."

"Oh," she examined the grains on the bread. "So, how are you a family again?"

Esme took this one. "Carlisle changed us one by one, essentially saving us from our deaths. Then we became… a little big family." She smiled up at her husband.

"How cute," she murmured, though her bored expression didn't fuel the positivity of her message. She seemed engrossed with her sandwich.

"Uh, Carlisle," Emmett scratched the back of his neck. "Her hands felt cold, even for me. How's her health?"

Angelique's eyes snapped up. "I'm perfectly fine. Why must something be always wrong with me? What's wrong with you? You're denying your natural rights of killing humans. _That's _normal. You're not normal."

No one had anything to say to that.

"Why am I here?"

"Simple," I broke the cowardly silence of my family. "You know about us and you shouldn't."

"Will you kill me?"

"I don't know."

"Well, you should." She looked me dead in the eyes.

"I thought you weren't suicidal." I shot back.

"It wouldn't be suicide." She poked the last piece of bread into her mouth and swallowed. "It'd be murder."

* * *

**Tsk. Tsk. You're tempting him, Angelique. **

**I just realised that Angelique sounds like a really pretty Black woman name. **

**I'll update soon.**

**Cheers.**

**effectivelywrite~**


	4. Lifestyle

**Happy New Years, all! Had a blast last night. Hope you all did the same. It's 2014. Not very exciting. You people are probably at the gym for the first time in three months, so I wish you luck with that.**

**New Chapter. **

**Read on...**

* * *

**Angelique's Point of View**

"_You knew about us and shouldn't." _

I curled up on the bed of the guest room and exhaled gently into my arms. There was something about that blondie – Jasper, was it? – that brought me to my limit. Maybe it was the way he sat? All proper and disgusting. Then again, the entire damn family looked like they belonged in a petty stone museum. Didn't vampires usually have a little bit of savagery in their nature? Apparently these little _vegetarians _sipped tea and growled at squirrels all day.

I shook my head into my forearm.

_Why am I here? _

All night, the vampires babbled on about the Volturi. Fuck them. Fuck the vampire police. They didn't really care. I'd heard about their position as absolute kings, ruling over the vampire world in constant monarchy, but they were just fossil-pires that acted on their boredom. Their laws were set to amuse them. Nothing more. After all, I'd imagine immortality to be quite the curse; boredom always around the corner. An itch you can never relieve.

The door clicked open. It was Esme, as I recalled from my memory. She was the motherly figure and had prepared this guest room for me.

"I brought you some milk. Maybe it would help you sleep?" she slowly walked over to me and set the tray down on the side table.

"How do you know all of this?" I questioned generally, grasping the cup between my two hands.

"I was once human," she smiled at me. She seemed too sweet to be a vampire. I just stared down at my cup.

"You aren't anymore," my tone was ignorant. "Don't vampires lose their humanly memory?"

"We keep some, but the venom destroys most."

I took a sip of the warm milk, savouring the heated temperature as it crawled down my throat.

"I'd never take the opportunity to become a vampire." I told her decidedly. "Living longer isn't a prize at all."

With that, she left, and I dozed off to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

It was morning before I knew it. The sun glinted through the closed blinds and my bones ached from the sudden change in bed structure. A hospital bed was the last place I'd sleep on given a choice between a box and a nailed piece of metal.

I listened closely to the voices downstairs. People were arguing. Not only that, but there were two new vampires down there. I could feel it.

"She fucking knows about us? Oh, that's just wonderful. Two humans that'll get the entire family killed. How splendid." High toned and bitchy. I liked this vampire.

"Rosie, honey. Calm down." That was the big muscled one.

I stretched myself out of bed and put the plain blue robe on that was hanging by on one of the knobs of the dressers. Wrapping myself with the soft cloth, I left the guest room and headed downstairs.

"Hope none of you slept well." I murmured and stopped before all of them. I took a good look at the four vampires before me. Jasper, Emmett, Esme, and… Rosie.

"Rosalie, this is Angelique." Esme was kind enough to introduce us, but the girl wasn't kind enough to be kind. Not a hello; not even a smile. This was the excessively beautiful one, and pretty people usually were complete assholes. Vampires. Exhibit A.

I didn't reach a hand to greet her and neither did she. It was like staring at a mirror, except my reflection was a vomit of perfection. I shrugged past her to take a seat on the couch.

"Would you like some breakfast?" Esme called out from the isle counter.

"If you don't have anything better to do… sure."

I could already hear the sizzle of the frying pan.

"I can't believe this." The girl blondie was at it again. "Whose idea was this? Maybe she would have died in that hospital and we wouldn't have this problem."

Jasper snickered.

"Baby," Emmett warned. "Hey, at least she's a bit more animated than Bella."

_Bella._

I thought back to the earlier conversation. "…_two humans…" _

The Cullens were hiding another human?

Jasper appeared on the love seat, putting the bottoms of his palms on his eyes. "Quit saying her name. She appears on command."

The front door slowly opened, and Edward walked in, being his grim and moody self. Behind him came a little figure. Brunette with matching eyes, wearing a plain T-shirt and jeans. Human.

My eyes widened, the pressure setting in. Numbers came into view.

_0 _

_0_

_7_

_4_

_23_

_01_

I was taken aback. The figures floated above her, encircling her cranium.

"This is Bella," Emmett pulled the human to the living room. "Bella, this is Angelique."

She mumbled out a _hello._

I looked at her, my expression close to downgrading her sense of mind. My eyes narrowed. Hers found the ground.

"Pleasure," my lips curled downward, and I did my best to avoid her visual for the next few hours.

Bella was here for breakfast as well. The two of us were arranged around the dining table.

"She knows?" I heard her whisper to Edward, only to which he gave a reluctant nod.

I poked at one of the eggs, popping the yolk open. "You don't have to be awkward about it."

She made it incredibly awkward. Her hair fell into her eyes and she focused down on her plate. Now, I was staring at her with disgust, but I highly doubted _that_ was the reason why she was being so closed up.

At last, I scraped my chair on the marble and squeezed out of the dining area. I had enough of her humanly bullshit. I went up to the guest room and hit my head against the headboard of the bed. My mind played its tricks on me, but I wasn't ready to succumb to it. Distractions made the hallucinations better, so I got up and started to dig around the Cullen house.

It was eerie quiet in the manor, but that was normal for a house of vampires.

_And one human._

Hell, I didn't even understand why they'd keep a human pet that they didn't even drink from. Bella looked as dumb as a poky stick. I didn't understand why she even deserved the knowledge of the supernatural.

Poking around countless bedrooms, I explored the triplex. The entire house was marvellously decorated. I stopped when I reached a plain wooden door that was left ajar. It was a library.

"We're allowed to shoot trespassers in our homes."

That accent. I turned around.

It was male blondie. Jeans that hung low and a shirt that was a bit tight.

_Classic. _

"Pray shoot me." I taunted. "Better than keeping me caged."

He moved forward, pushing past me and into the room. I followed him.

"I take it you don't like Bella." He started, picking up a book or two. "Her emotions were… off the hook."

"Your gift?" I cocked my head to the side. "You feel emotions?"

"Empath," he smirked down at a book. "You're quick. How's a druggie this swift to catch on?"

My fists clenched by my sides. "I'm not a druggie. You're ignorant for a vampire."

He shrugged his toned shoulders. "What's wrong with your body?"

"It's none of your concern," I looked around. "It smells nice in here."

"These are books centuries older than you. Course it smells nice."

My fingers ran over spines of books. "Do you smell nice?"

"I'm centuries older than you."

"Therefore, you smell nice."

He shook his head, amused. "A poor theory."

I walked down the countless aisles of dusty books. "You're a vampire. Therefore, you must smell nice."

"That's more accurate."

"Yet, you don't take the advantage of the scent. Unless animals are sexually attracted to your family."

I couldn't help the snicker.

He frowned at me. "This is the first time a human's dissing on our diet."

"I'm not dissing on your diet." I picked up a book. _Dracula. _

_How ironic._

I flipped through the pages, curling my lips. "I'm dissing on your entire bullshit lifestyle."

* * *

**Seems like she knows a whole lot more than an average human. *cough* Bella.**

**What do you think about the numbers? **

**Really not that hard of a foreshadow. **

**Cheers.**

**effectivelywrite~**


	5. Closer to Death

**Thanks for the reviews, mates. I haven't got a lot of time for this, but just enough for me to fill in this chapter. It doesn't have much happening, but I'd like you to think about Angelique's aches a bit more. **

**Here you are.**

* * *

**Jasper's Point of View**

"You have a wife?"

"Are you interested?" I gave Angelique a lopsided grin. My study was her daily stop for the past few days she was here. Before she went to bed, I'd find her deep in my books, exploring however much her human mind could explore.

She scoffed at me from the window side, rearranging the book in her lap. "You're a paedophile, you realise."

I had to laugh at that. "I'd say physically, you wouldn't dare put that barrier."

She kept a plain expression. "I'd say you need to stop flirting with a little human."

At least she admitted that she was puny, helpless human. Now I'd like to get Bella to mumble that out. I could swear that that little pest thought she was a vampire. Maybe she really didn't understand the dangers her clumsy acts imposed on the family. One cut and I'd be all up in that -

I heard the front door unclick and breeze open.

_Damn it. _

"Is Bella here?" her inquiry made me look up.

"How would you know?"

"Vampires don't use doors."

I looked at her. She flipped a page and stared back. "Isn't it true? Your brother cartwheeled through the window."

Maybe it was that she had a past with vampires, but her observation skills made Bella look like a slug.

"So?" she drew out, focusing back on her book. "You going to go greet the human?"

I left without a response, knowing that she'd rather be in a dusty rat hole than spend time with Bella. That didn't mean I couldn't _not _show up to the human fest. The family always expected me to attend.

Bella came to see Edward. I begged him to take her out for dinner. They left. I didn't want to deal with two horny as fuck people that didn't know how to release their frustration.

When I headed back upstairs, Angelique was gone. I didn't want to pursue her. She shouldn't know that I had _some_ intrigue going for her. Nothing she said could be true, but I enjoyed listening to her. Her past was vague, but I could colour in the dots to make a little sense of what had gone through her life. I just never understood her body temperature. She wasn't as cold as dead, but she was freezing compared to Bella. You could feel it the moment you were in the room with Angelique.

I wondered if Carlisle had any theories.

She wasn't close to an OD since the Oxycodone should be fully out of her system. It had been four days since she'd arrived and there should've been no trace of any drug in her body.

I was about to call Alice when I heard a little voice call out. "Jasper?"

Angelique. Speak of the devil.

I entered her room without a knock. Maybe that's why she had an annoyed mask over her sleepy expression.

I raised my eye brows at her, silently asking her what she wanted.

"Does Carlisle have any pain meds lying around in his office?" she asked me. And it was a sincere question.

"Body aches?"

"Does he?" she ignored my question.

"I'm not giving you any unless you tell me what they're for."

She stuck out her lower lip. "Aw, does the pedo vampire care about a weak, senseless human?"

"You won't baby me."

"You're pathetic." She pointed at the door. "Get out. Get Esme."

Esme could hear the entire conversation. She was by the door the moment I stepped through the threshold.

"Mad?" she asked me.

"Feisty," I hissed at her.

I went to my study, which was just a few rooms away. I could hear the conversation as if the two ladies were standing right beside me.

"What can I do for you, dear?" Esme was being her motherly caregiver.

"One second," she paused, and then proceeded to yell. "I know you can hear me, you asshole!"

I chuckled to myself.

She cleared her throat and apologised. "I need some pain medication. And," I could see her holding up a hand. "If I wanted to kill myself, I would have done so already."

I didn't hear Esme say a word, so I assumed she left to go find some pills.

I focused in on Angelique's heartbeat. Strangely, it didn't beat as strongly as Bella's. I would have understood that her heartbeat would be irregularly low the day she was almost over dosed, but again, time had passed. Her body should have been fine.

As I expected, her heart slowed. She was pulled under the covers into a deep sleep.

My vampire ass was out the window and I ran for the woods. I needed to hunt. And call my girlfriend.

"How's the girl?" was the first thing she yelled from Paris.

"Why are you asking me?" I leaned against a splintering tree.

"I can't see her, Jazz."

"How odd. Edward can't read her either." Shit was going on about this girl.

I heard her sigh on the phone. "I won't be coming home for Bella's birthday. I need to consult the Volturi."

What. The. Fuck.

"I know, I know," she said before I could reiterate my thoughts out loud. "I need Aro's advice."

"Alice stop," I ordered her. "You're not going to Aro. The family's serious about this. You'd get us all killed. We broke the law. Twice. Didn't you see us argue about this stupid human?"

"You think she's stupid?"

"Not as stupid as Bella, but she's human."

She laughed softly. "And all humans are stupid?"

"Yes," I said without hesitation.

"You're ridiculous."

_Calling a war veteran ridiculous, Ally? Which reminded me…_

"She said I was pathetic." I was referring to the less annoying human.

"Good for her," Alice spoke proudly. "Hope you're not planning on ripping her throat out."

"She encouraged me."

"Now, Jazzy," Alice said warningly.

"I'll be nice."

I ended the call and hoped for a grizzly bear.

* * *

**Angelique's Point of View**

When I woke up, the room glistened with the sun's reflection through a glass of water placed on the end table. Next to the glass were three pills of Tylenol.

I gritted my teeth to soothe the ache in my muscles and commanded it to relax. _Alright, body. We've hit the jackpot. _

I drowned all three pills as quickly as I'd seen them.

"Rosalie's preparing for the party downstairs," I didn't even hear Esme come up. She'd ditched her humanly ways. "Would you like your breakfast up here?"

I forced a little smile. "I'm actually not that hungry."

"But, honey," she leaned against the side of the bed. "You haven't eaten since lunch yesterday."

"What party is this?" I dismissed her concern.

"Bella's birthday party. She'll be turning eighteen."

_Lovely. A year closer to death. _

"I'm happy for her. Thanks for the pills," I handed her the empty glass.

She nodded, uncertain, regaining her human bullshit and slowly walking towards the door.

"Oh, one more thing," I smiled when she turned back. "Can you ask Carlisle for my departure date? I'd appreciate that."

Tiredness edged into her features. "Yes, dear."

I wanted to yell at her for looking so fake, but decided against it. She wasn't worth my time and effort.

I was dying every second.

I didn't need to deal with their immortal asses.

* * *

**Shorter than I expected it would turn out, but nonetheless, I still want you thinking about the aches.**

**Possible causes?**

**Her past is a distinct revelation, parallel to her future. **

**But... I guess you just need to stick with this. **

**Cheers, all.**

**effectivelywrite~**


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